Sending and delivery station for pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



K. A. GUTKNEGHT. v SENDINGAND DELIVERY STATION FOR PNEUMATIC DBSPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1909..

1,016,264.. Patented Feb. 6,1912. v

UNITED STATES liigTENT OFFICE.

KARL ANTON GUTKNECHT,

OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

SENDING AND DELIVERY STATION FOR PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS.

Application filed August 4,

To all Whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Kant. ANTON Gru'rnNneI-rr, a citizen and resident of the city of Hamburg, in the German Empire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sending and Delivery Stat-ions for Pneumatic-Despatch-Tube Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a sending or delivery station for pneumatic despatch tube apparatus having alternately movable trapping valves or gates and essentially consists in arranging the terminal-tube within a casing communicating with the transmissiontube in such manner that the stream of air led around or past the terminal through the casing retains its direction of motion, when taking up the carrier or when delivering it to the terminals. The alternate movement of the two valves or gates closing the terminal on top and bottom is brought about by racit-quadrants, each two of which are fastened to vertical shafts arranged on both sides of the valve rods formed as double racks.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a vertical section of a delivery station embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a combined sending and a delivery station. Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section, of the sending station. Fig, 4 is a detail view of the rack segments, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a trapping valve.

In the apparatus shown the delivery terminal a as well as the sending terminal 7) is surrounded by a cylindrical casing c and (Z respectively formed by enlarging a portion of the transmission conduit C. In each of these terminals two gates e are arranged, which normally are closed and which are guided by closed frames f. Rods g are made integral with the gates c and are provided with rack teeth It on both sides. They serve as double racks and are adapted to mesh with rack-quadrants 70 that are fixed to vertical shafts i and 71 in a manner as hereinafter described. Each shaft is provided with a gear at in mesh with an idler n journaled between the vertical shafts i and 2' In the case of the sending station the shaft 2' is in operative connection with a horizontal shaft 0 carrying a hand-wheel crank 0 by the aid of a conical gearing 7) and in the case of delivery station the shaft 2' may have a similar hand operated mechanism 0 0 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

1909. Serial No. 511,155.

and p or means may be provided to drive the shaft i mechanically for instance by an electromotor. The four rack quadrants 7c are so positioned on the shafts 2' and 2' both in the sending apparatus as well as in the delivery apparatus, and the number of teeth on the gearings are preferably so chosen, that when the shafts rotate for one complete revolution, first the upper gate is opened and closed again and then the lower gate is opened and closed.

in the apparatus shown the sendingand delivery stations are so constructed that they are adapted to be used in a pneumatic tube system working with a circulating air stream. Airis admitted at divers stations to the sending part of it from the top, carrying along with it the despatch-carrier which then enters the terminal, a of the delivery station provided with a flaring mouth on top. The air passes around the terminal through the casing 0 into a tube 9 connecting the casing c with the casing (Z surrounding the sending terminal 7). Atthe bottom of the casing (Z the transmission-tube is connected.

When a carrier is to be despatched, it is introduced into the top part of the sendingterminal 7) allowing it to rest on the top gate 0. Now the crank wheel 0 is given a complete turn, during which the following takes place. The upper quad ant 70 on one shaft 2' moves the rack 5/, h of the upper gate to the right, Fig. 3, thus opening this gate, to allow the carrier to pass and fall down on the lower gate in the terminal. Then the upper quadrant of the other shaft 2' moves the same rack back into its former posit-ion, thus closing the upper gate. This done, the lower quadrant 71? of the firstnamed shaft 17 catches hold of the rack g h of the lower gate and now the carrier falls into the transmission tube to be taken along with the stream of air to the next station. The moment the carrier has passed the lower gate 6, this gate is again closed by the lower quadrant of the shaft 71 on the last quarter of revolution of the crank wheel 0 In case the ap iaratus in the delivery part also constructed to be operated by hand, the operator in the second station is given a sign either electrically or otherwise by which he understands that a carrier arrives. He then has to give the hand wheel 0 a complete turn to open and close the gates of his delivery terminal, in similar manner, as has been described with reference to the sending station. The carrier will then fall out by way of the lower part 8 of the delivery terminal a projecting through the bottom of the casing 0.

In case the shaft 71 of the delivery station is driven by mechanical means a contact spring I. is arranged in the transmission tube above the delivery terminal and in the circuit of an electromotor. Now when the carrier passes the spring t, it closes the circuit and the motor is set in motion to operate the shaft 2' in a manner easily understood. The rotation of the shaft 2' sets the gates in motion in the same manner as described above.

As shown the gates e are preferably made in two sections and provided with oblique faces between which a wedge M (Fig. 5) is placed, which when the gate is closed drives its sections asunder to be pressed against the seat or against edges of the terminals a or b respectively.

If desired the invention may also be made use of in pneumatic tube systems having only one single transmission tube working only in one direction or it may be made use of in systems of this kind working alternately inlooth directions.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a fixed terminal, alternately movable gates normally closing the terminal and spaced therefrom at both ends, a casing surrounding the terminal and adapted to guide the air around the terminal in the direction of the latter when said terminal is closed.

2. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus a terminal, gates to normally close the terminal at both ends, rods attached to the gates and provided with rack teeth on both sides, vertical shafts on both sides of the rods and provided with rack segments adapted to engage the racks on the gate-rods alternately, to first open and close the upper gate and then to open and close the lower gate.

In a pneumatic despatch ap )aratus, a transmission conduit having enlarged portions, terminals of smaller diameter than said enlarged portions fixed in the latter, gates intermediate the ends of said terminals normally closing both ends of the latter, and means to open and close said gates in succession.

4. I11 a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission conduit having an enlarged portion at each end, a sending terminal of smaller diameter than the enlarged portions fixed in one of the latter and adapted to communicate with the conduit, a delivery terminal fixed in the other enlarged portion, said delivery terminal adapted to communicate at one end with the conduit and having its other end extending through the latter, gates intermediate the ends of said terminals normally closing both ends of the latter, and means to open and close said gates in succession.

5. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission tube having an enlarged portion at each end, a sending terminal of smaller diameter than the enlarged portions fixed concentrically in one of the latter and adapted to communicate with the conduit, a delivery terminal fixed in the other enlarged portion, said delivery terminal adapted to communicate at one end with the tube and having its other end extending through the latter, gates intermediate the ends of said terminals normally closing both ends of the latter, and means to open and close said gates in succession.

KARL ANTON GUTKNECHT.

Witnesses MAX KAEMrrr, ERNEST H. L. l\IU1\rMnNIIorr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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